What was your favorite part of the La Chanterelle experience?
As a student, my favorite part was the social aspect of it. I enjoyed meeting new people and talking about my experience at Endicott with the guests. I have always been happier working in a hands-on and interactive atmosphere. I also love to make people happy, so this was the perfect position to be in!
As a Graduate Assistant at La Chanterelle, my favorite part of the experience was watching the students grow more and more confident over time. It was so rewarding to watch them improve each week.
Where do you currently work and what are your job duties? How does your current role align with your major and your lessons from La Chanterelle?
I work at 53 State Street in Boston, a high-rise building located in the heart of the Financial District, which is a great place to be. My title here is Workplace Experience Manager for the Shift program, which is a tenant amenity program launched by Beacon Capital Partners that strives to provide the building’s tenant employees with a reason to get excited to come into the workplace.
After COVID, workplaces saw a major decrease in occupancy since everyone was working from home. The Shift program’s offerings incentivize people to come into the workplace and provide them with fun, relaxing, and engaging events regularly. Some examples of what I plan are happy hours, book clubs, holiday celebrations, fitness classes, meditation sessions, and more.
The Shift program exists in about 10 of Beacon’s buildings across the country, and I’m currently the only one from my company working in Boston, so I work alone in my building! That being said, a huge part of my role is to communicate operations with the property management team, security personnel, and maintenance crew. I do not get lonely here!
Describe a time when the La Chanterelle experience helped you overcome a crisis of confidence or helped you with an a-ha moment in your current work.
Being in a leadership position with the support of my superiors (General Manager Ryan Blodgett, Operations Manager Kayla Richards, and Pastry Chef Rebecca Doyon) helped shape me into the manager I am today. I conduct my current day-to-day responsibilities with complete confidence—the confidence that they helped me build!
One moment that displayed their trust in me was when Kayla tested positive for COVID-19 on a Thursday morning. I was informed just hours before the class that I would be teaching it on my own. This wasn’t just any service night at La Chanterelle, it was one of our workshops. These workshops are the foundation for this class, briefing the students on all of the classroom functions, protocols, and operations. Since the back-of-house had Ryan, Rebecca, and Annie [Keith] to run the class, they could have easily had someone step in to oversee the front-of-house workshop. However, Ryan expressed that he had plenty of confidence that I could do it on my own, so I did.
What are the takeaways from La Chanterelle that you use often in your current role?
How to communicate with others. A huge part of being in this classroom was receiving feedback, and that is something that some people have a hard time with at first. However, La Chanterelle made me understand the value of feedback and how it can drastically improve your current operations or approach. I now push for my tenants at 53 State to give me feedback as much as possible so I know how to suit their needs better.
What advice do you have for current or prospective students considering either the hospitality program or taking the La Chanterelle courses?
Make the most of your time here! Take the time to try new things. Enroll in the course that you are unsure about. College is about exploring new opportunities and learning and La Chanterelle is an amazing place for that.